Comparing three year olds... X3 vs. 330xi

[AzNMpower32]

Originally Posted by Drum

When I can get myself in the right frame of mind to forget about the fossils I'm burning, that is really a fun car to drive!

One thing I am noticing... I have been bracing myself for sharp curves and even turns in a way that is completely unnecessary in this vehicle. Perhaps it is my (sole) prior SUV experience with a '91 Jeep Cherokee that made me think that I needed to lean forward and in to the corners.
Sure, the bouncy ride can be somewhat reminiscent of my old Jeep, but the cornering and handling is pure BMW through and through.

I think there's a reason for that. I don't know how the suspension is set up on the '05+ X3s, but on the '04s, the suspension was tuned a bit odd.

There's like, 3 "layers" to the suspension travel, but most folks wouldn't know all three unless you pushed the vehicle hard (like you and I). Around town, the ride is initially too choppy, as it bucks and responds to every road imperfection larger than a dime. As you push harder, towards ~50% of the handling capability, the suspension feels a tad soft. The vehicle rolls a bit and instinctively you get a bit spooked and start to brace yourself. In fact, most drivers give up at this point, a bit afraid to push on.

But as you push the absolute limit of the vehicle, the suspension seems to firm up at the very end. This is what I think makes the X3 such a hoot to drive. At tire-squealing cornering speeds, the driver realises that the X3 is damn capable of handling itself, and all he's gotta do is point the vehicle in the right direction and keep the foot to the floor. If you're bold, the X3 lets you hang the tail out a bit, or perhaps does a 4-wheel drift if the road condition and driving is done just right. But you've got to keep your foot down and let the xDrive sort things out! (If you let up on the throttle, you end up overcompensating most of the time) It's like you have to pass thru a ring of fire in order to get to the core handling capabilities of the X3.

My favorite testing ground is 10-15mi outside of Charlottesville, VA. From a stop sign, you've got a straight downhill that allows full throttle to the top of 2nd (about 90km/h in my 2.5i). Then its hard on the brakes for a slow right 270-degree turn, more full throttle thru the upper end of 3rd (120km/h), hard on the brakes again for a sweeping 270-degree left, partial throttle thru a couple S curves in 3rd, and hard on the brakes one last time for a left over a narrow bridge. I can do the whole thing in reverse too, but its all uphill that way and um, the 2.5 litre has issues with that. If done properly, ABS will never kick in. If you think I'm a hooligan, clearly this is a popular road for drivers, judging by the fair amount of black tire marks all over the road!!

Just my 2 cents